Novelist Robert Drewe visits the Montebellos

10/01/2013 , 10:18 AM by Dominic Knight

I very much enjoyed The Shark Net, Robert Drewe's examination of a childhood in Western Australia that was in many respects idyllic, but in some senses macabre, as one of Australia's most notorious serial killers - who was known to the writer personally and a regular visitor to his house - stalked the sleepy suburbs of Perth.

Like his fellow Western Australian Tim Winton, the coast has been a recurring theme in Drewe's writing, which includes the acclaimed short story collection The Bodysurfers. Perth is a city built on sand, and at Cottesloe Beach shark attacks are always a risk, and these elements have always played on Drewe's mind.

In his latest book, a second volume of memoir called Montebello, Drewe admits to a certain degree of islomania - and indeed, islands have fascinated many of us ever since humanity first took to sea. In Drewe's case, the attraction probably stems from his early visits to the paradise-like Rottnest Island, and has stuck with him throughout his life.

In this new book, he examines his lifelong fascination with islands in the context of a journey to the Montebello Islands, which lie off the WA coast. During the Cold War, several nuclear tests were conducted there, despite it being one of the windiest places in the world, which created enormous problems in terms of fallout. Some islands are still so radioactive today that you aren't supposed to spend more than an hour there. And yet, as Drewe discovers, a number of Australians were exposed to the radition from the tests at the time without protective gear. It's a dark period of our history that should be more widely understood.

As he probes the controversial and at times tragic testing programme, Drewe explores the islands as they are today, accompanying a scientific programme that is attempting to reintroduce native animals to the ravaged Montebellos.

I discussed the history of the Montebellos with Robert Drewe. A portion of the interview was also broadcast on ABC News 24's One Plus One.

Photo: the mushroom cloud generated by the Operation Hurricane test in the Montebellos, 3 October 1952.